Some Pipe Dreams That Will Fix Ncaa

Dave Fairbank

September 19, 2009|By DAVE FAIRBANK Daily Press

Myles Brand had a nearly impossible task. The late NCAA president who died this week attempted to re-route college athletics' speeding convoy of 18-wheelers with a bullhorn and some orange highway cones.

Though Brand is most remembered for firing Bob Knight when he was president at Indiana, the former philosophy professor tirelessly advocated for academic reform and routinely launched signal flares about college athletics' headlong money-grab.

Brand was aware of the limitations of his position, that he was more promoter than czar. As NCAA prez, he had a bully pulpit, but little real power.

As the NCAA searches for his successor, what might be done if the next person who sits in the chair was granted sweeping powers to fix college athletics? Glad I asked.

SIMPLIFY

Go to the NCAA's Web site and the Division I Manual is 439 pages. That's not a college sports guide, that's the Yellow Pages.

The NCAA Division I Manual is 439 pages for the same reason that the U.S. Tax Code is 67,000 pages. Too much money, too many loopholes. If you don't spell it out, somebody is going to exploit it.

It's understandable in business, but a little disheartening in college athletics.

You ought to be able to cut down the NCAA manual to about 10 pages and sum up the philosophy in four words: Educate athletes. Don't cheat.

FRESHMEN INELIGIBLE

Forty years ago, the concept was rooted in the idea that freshmen had to be protected and nurtured in the scary, expansive environment of college campuses.

Obviously not the case now. The college landscape is littered with true freshmen performing remarkable feats.

But this isn't about the athletic capabilities of freshmen; it's about preserving the academic integrity of colleges.

Freshman ineligibility likely will weed out some academic misfits (perhaps some one-and-done basketballers) and permit kids to better acclimate themselves. Nothing wrong with teaching patience in a microwave society.

As for coaches who fuss about smaller roster sizes and fewer available players with freshmen ineligible, you know all those speeches you give your players about persevering and overcoming adversity? How appropriate that you get to practice what you preach.

Hey, nobody said this was going to be painless. The inmates have been running the asylum far too long.

The NCAA's Committee on Infractions recommends a punishment. Let's say, postseason ban for two years.

The school appeals and throws itself on the NCAA's mercy. On its own, it whacks some scholarships, censures the coach, limits the number of recruiting visits.

The punishment is reduced to probation and a stern talking-to.

Later, School B gets busted for something similar. They say, hey, School A only got probation.

In the end, barring dead bodies or envelopes full of cash, everybody winds up with probation.

No more. Bowl bans, postseason bans, major scholarship reductions. In the case of something egregious or repetitive, shut down a program for a year.

If it's all tied to a renegade coach, termination and legal action sound like the way to go.

One reason that so many schools get by with probation is the excuse that harsher penalties punish the athletes, which isn't fair to them.

Granted, but kids should be made aware, if they don't know already, of the risk/reward choice of attending schools that might be subject to the NCAA microscope.

The NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR) and Graduation Success Rates (GSR), a big part of Brand's legacy, are steps in the right direction, with progressive penalties for chronic under-performance.

Still, some schools receive waivers on those penalties, too. From now on, they better have an awfully good excuse.

LIFETIME BAN

Cheat willfully and you're done. You can coach or be an administrator in the pros, at NAIA schools, junior colleges or high schools, but not in the NCAA.

If it's really all about working with young people and not just making money, there are plenty of opportunities.

FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Eight teams. Three weekends in December and early January. Neutral sites.

Nobody misses class. Rotate the games among the big bowls. If they gripe, fine. There's plenty of other stadia willing to host a national-championship quarterfinal or semifinal.

The arguments for a playoff have been stated numerous times and places. But suffice to say that under the present setup, it's OK for schools and programs with a fraction of the resources of the marquee programs and conferences to travel and navigate playoff schedules - while fall semester still is in session, mind you - but the Big Boys cannot. Makes your head hurt.

CALLING THE SHOTS

TV waves a check, and colleges come running. Football games on Thursday and Friday nights. Midweek basketball games at 9 p.m. NCAA tournament games at 10 p.m. and later.